Depending on the location, different wooden components make up your Stockton house's structure. Some of these are in places where you can see them, while others make up the framework of your home, hidden from view by sheets of drywall. A house fire can produce so much smoke that it sends huge amounts of it outside, using any openings available.

Removing soot is a vital part of restoring your home in Stockton when fire damage affects your property. Intense heat pushes smoke into enclosed spaces like wall and ceiling cavities. Once there, it clings to the wooden frame and the interiors of the wall itself.

Depending on the intensity of damage to the exterior surface of the drywall, we might clean such areas up and repaint them, or replace them entirely, followed by new wallcoverings. Our building team, with General Contractor License # 937457, provides our customers with skilled removal and installation of drywall, as needed. On the framework, however, this unfinished wood can become saturated with soot. Unfinished wood absorbs the smallest particles and any volatile oils into the pores. Such oils come from synthetics, an can produce strong odors.

To restore wooden frameworks affected like this, we use dry cleaning methods. Starting with a vacuum, we get as much of the soot removed from the unfinished wood. SERVPRO's restoration technicians wear respirator masks as part of their personal protective equipment (PPE). After we finish with this, we seal the surfaces to prevent any future issues with the emanation of unwanted odors.

Furniture made from real wood also requires specific restoration methods, and these differ from those used on unfinished wood. Instead, we choose cleaning agents that protect the wood and its finish while simultaneously removing abrasive soot and smoke deposits.

After using a dry sponge, handheld vacuum, or a brush to free wooden surfaces of the looser soot, we determine how heavily soiled the item is before choosing the next step. For lighter cleaning, a general cleaner suffices, with medium needing a bit more of a boost. Heavy soot deposits treated with creme paste respond well. After cleaning, we check for any newly visible fire damage and if anything needs refinishing.

SERVPRO of Stockton helps restore homes in Ortega and Lincoln Village when fire damage leaves soot residues within the property. Call (209) 477-3090 and we can start making it “Like it never even happened.”